WINNIPEG — Barring an unforeseen development over the next 48 hours, Martin St. Louis should return to the Rangers lineup Thursday night in Minnesota.

St. Louis will have missed eight games after he sits out Tuesday’s match here against the Jets because of the MCL sprain he suffered late in the March 15 Garden match against the Panthers.

“This is the first day I’ve skated with my teammates, and I think for me it’s a nice progression where it’s not the same intensity as a real practice and I can really control my pace a little bit better,” St. Louis said following the morning skate. “I’ve skated four or five times by myself. With a full practice [Wednesday], I think it will allow me to be ready to go on Thursday.”

St. Louis, who resumed skating last Thursday in Ottawa, appeared to skate freely and in full stride as he worked for nearly a half-hour after his teammates had left the ice. He had skated Thursday through Sunday before staying off the ice on Monday’s travel day.

“For me, it’s my first whack at [a knee injury],” said St. Louis, whose game is so dependent on his legs. “You find yourself protecting it. There are certain motions that hurt and you try and protect it.

“You’ve got to get confidence as it gets better that you don’t need to protect it as much,” said St. Louis, whose 20 goals are tied with Chris Kreider for second on the club behind Rick Nash’s 40. “I felt that every day I got on the ice, and felt better and better.

“Now I’m jumping in my stride. I’m not cautious in my stride. Those first two strides are a big part of my game. I could feel that I had jump.”

St. Louis has not played fewer than 77 games in a full season since 2001-02, when he was limited to 53 in his second year with Tampa Bay because of a broken leg. But this enforced absence on the cusp of the playoffs could be of benefit to the 38-year-old workaholic.

“Most people know I haven’t missed a lot of games in my career. I’ve played through a lot of stuff not to miss games,” the winger said. “This is just one of those things you can’t play through.

“Friends have been encouraging me to take some positive out of the negative and look on the bright side [in] getting a couple of weeks to recharge physically and mentally. But it’s real important for me to get some games, and not just one or two games. It’s important for me to get a true feel of where I am and build up my game. I think the amount of games I’m going to get is going to be perfect to feel good about my game going into the playoffs.”

The Blueshirts will have six games remaining beginning with Thursday’s match against the Wild.

Matt Hunwick was set to returned to the lineup after missing Sunday’s 5-2 defeat to the Caps with an upper-body issue.

The Rangers had hoped Kevin Klein would be able to return for the final couple of games of the regular season in the immediate aftermath of the broken arm he sustained in Washington on March 11, but that does not seem likely. The objective now is to get the top-four defenseman back for Game 1 of the playoffs, which would likely be April 16 at the Garden if the Rangers have home ice.